On the hunt for individual components
Ambitious users opted for desktop systemsNotebooks were around by the late 90′s but they were either too unstable to cope with demanding tasks such as video editing, or too expensive and not powerful enough for gamers. Ambitious users opted for desktop systems, preferring to build the computers meticulously themselves rather than simply buying them off the shelf.
An early self-built desktop PC.
With a sleek housing found, the hunt for the individual components began. A motherboard from ASUS, the new GeForce, RAM from Infineon and, of course, the hard drives and optical disk drives. I was the best customer in the store and was frequently to be found tinkering around with my PC once I got home. As soon as anything new came out, I installed it in my computer — often because I wanted to, but sometimes because I had to. Games were becoming more and more sophisticated and required better hardware.
Finding a place in the computer world
The desktop is by no means dead
Then came the moment that the PC industry had been dreading. Notebooks became better and more affordable. They were more compact than desktop computers and you could take them with you wherever you went. You were not confined to your study with a notebook — you could use it while relaxing on the sofa in the evening or even when sitting on a train. Hardware was getting better all the time, too, allowing even sophisticated games to be played without any problems at all. All of a sudden the media was heralding the end of the traditional desktop computer, claiming that no-one was buying the huge, hideous boxes any more.
The desktop is by no means dead. It still has a place in our world. Of course, no-one with half a brain would dream of talking the nice pensioner from next door into buying a bulky gaming desktop PC instead of an Ultrabook or Chromebook, but there are still people out there who want to buy desktops or commission built-to-order PCs.
Users want both
More options for upgrading and more future-proof than a notebook
It seems that some people still want a desktop despite already owning a notebook. The reason is quite simple: Even in 2014, a desktop PC can do far more than its lighter, slimmer sibling. Want to change the motherboard, graphics card or some other component? You can with a desktop. Desktop PCs can be upgraded and are therefore typically more future-proof than a notebook. I don’t know any serious gamers who only own a notebook.
In 2014, the desktop lives on!
Solid sales for desktop computers
Second-highest sales figures for desktops since the end of 2011
According to market research, sales figures for desktop PCs are at their second-highest level since the end of 2011. And if you take into consideration the market pressure from phablets, tablets and lower-priced notebooks, then the increase in desktop sales is even more impressive.
So why are sales increasing? I can only hazard a guess. Are the first or second generation of notebook buyers coming round to the idea that a desktop PC is simply more powerful? Are there more people who really would prefer to have a box computer that they can keep for years and upgrade as and when they like?
So what do you think, is the desktop PC dead or not?
